


Secrets in the dark

by VladimirCain



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 01:59:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13988100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VladimirCain/pseuds/VladimirCain
Summary: The world of vampires is a mysterious place. Only basic information is known to the public unless of course you've been to their realm. Allen Walker has been given a task by his guardian to learn everything about vampires, while also trying to discover why his father went missing years ago. What information will he find? What will happen to him if it's discovered he's a spy?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A half an hour wait turned into two causing irritation to visit the white haired man. With a heavy sigh he slouches in his seat while looking up at the sky. It was a deep blue, occupied by only a few clouds. The breeze gently brushed against his cheek as he stepped from the vehicle. The driver gasped and quickly joined the other man once the car was off. The white haired man stretches as he ignores the fumbled apologizes from his company. Just how long was he expected to wait? He sighs again causing the driver to panic, apologizing more. Before any sort of peace could be restored the sound of doors opening caught their attention. Searching with their eyes, both see large double doors, engraved with Sakura petals, appear before them. A screech escapes the driver as a man steps from behind the doors. Towering at only 5’9, the new person glanced at the pair with bored brown eyes. His attire made the white haired man raise an eyebrow. A black button up short sleeve shirt, and red and black pants that had two chains dangling from the hip to a pocket; one on each side. His purple hair was a faded buzz with a fluff of hair on top of his head styled to the left.

“Allen Walker?” the purple haired man asked. 

“Ah, yes that's me,” the white haired man replies with a bright smile on his face while offering his hand. “And you are?”

“Vladimir,” he answers, accepting the hand shake. Looking closer, Allen could see a black leather collar around Vladimir's neck that had his name engraved in white.

“You must be his guide,” the driver stutters. 

“You can leave now,” Vladimir bluntly answers which was followed by a yawn. Driver flinches but nods, after all he wasn't needed now. 

“Be careful Mr Walker, who knows how dangerous the vampires are,” driver loudly states before hopping in his car and speeding off. 

Vladimir rolls his eyes. Allen examines his guide again noting how human the man before him looked. His eyes then scanned back to the doors. Allen still couldn't believe he was this close to the vampire realm. Yes vampires lived in his but their home was the mirror realm, which was full of magic. Humans rarely got to visit so when one was granted permission they were considered special. Stepping closer to the doors, Allen peers inside. A pout forms on his face; all he could see was thick crystal blue fog. 

“You must be something special if our king is interested in you,” Vladimir says, snapping Allen out of his trance. 

“Special? More like persistent. Hold on, king?” Allen made a mental note of this new information. Vampires were still a mystery and only a few humans were graced with knowledge, however they swore never to tell anyone. Allen knew he would break his promise in order to report to Cross, his guardian. He just worried about the consequences of talking. Shaking his head, Allen convinces himself he should be more worried about what the vampires will do to him when they discover he's a spy. 

Allen chases after his guide who wordlessly stepped through the door. Upon entering a strong gust of wind crashed against him, making it difficult to follow Vladimir. Grunting, Allen struggles against the current trying to catch up to the vampire who was strolling through the fog with ease. Allen jumps when a loud slam echoes through the space. Peeking over his shoulder he realizes the doors had slammed shut and were now fading away. Casting his gaze forward Allen begins panicking. Where was Vladimir? The fog thickens and the wind grows stronger to the point Allen believes his flesh would be ripped off. Allen continues walking straight hoping to find the vampire. 

After hours of walking, well it felt like hours to Allen, a small building comes into view. Rushing inside, Allen quickly shuts the door and sits on a bench. Resting his face in his palms, Allen sighs and thinks of his next move. He gulps when a eerie thought enters his head. What if Vladimir was there to kill him? Pulling his phone out, Allen turns the screen on. No signal. There was no way to call for help now. 

Another hour passes before Allen looks out the window. A groan escapes him when he realizes the wind had sped up. Hopefully the structure held. He squints when movement in the distance caught his attention. Without hesitation Allen swings the door open and dashes towards the figure, hoping his theory was correct. As soon as he reached his destination, his knees buckled under him and he met the ground. Allen blinks as he feels what he had assumed was dirt. It was glass yet felt like foam. Confusion set in as he tried making sense of his new discovery. Vladimir watches the human cautiously stand then places his left foot in front of him as if testing the durability. 

“You're not dead?” Vladimir huffs. “Now I owe Lavi a hundred gems,” he mumbles.

“Did you really bet on my life?” Allen questions, annoyed. 

“I'm wishing I didn't. Um it's not going to break,” Vladimir says while pointing at the ground. Allen stops tapping it with his foot and clears his throat. The human gasps when Vladimir grabs his hand. 

“What-?”

“It's faster this way,” Vlad replied then continued their walk. Allen felt embarrassed as he held the vampire's hand. He had the urge to let go but tightened his grip when he noticed the wind wasn't even touching them. 

“So this place tries to repel humans” Allen said out loud.

“Yeah, you can blame our king for that. Apparently humans could easily enter our realm if they found the door but a thousand years ago the king decided to prevent that from happening once he took the throne,” Vladimir informs. 

“He really wasn't fond of humans entering,” Allen tries joking. 

“Not at all. He believes people need to prove their capable of almost anything. These winds are one way to test humans who enter.”

“So humans still manage to stumble upon this place?” 

“Every so often. Occasionally the gatekeeper will find dead bodies,” Vlad nonchalantly states causing Allen to gulp.

Vladimir's hand eventually slides out of Allen's, alarming the human. When their connection was gone, Allen was greeted by a new surrounding. He was standing in the middle of a bustling city that resembled a medieval Vegas. The lavender haired man watches his charge nearly get run over by a horse drawn carriage since Allen was too busy taking in the sights. Making eye contact with Vladimir, Allen nervously laughs while rubbing the back of his neck. Vladimir approaches a horse, which was attached to a carriage, that had been waiting along the curb and pets its neck. He then turns to Allen, his expression hard to read. 

“Welcome to Erithra, Allen Walker. You're currently in Cerulean Province which is the capital of our realm. My name is Vladimir and I'll be your escort to the castle. I'll also make sure you're safe until we get there,” Vladimir welcomes properly before opening the door for Allen. 

Allen jumps when the door was forced shut behind him. From the small window in front of him, he could see Vladimir climb onto his seat and grip the reigns. With a jolt, the carriage moved and was on its way. Exhaling, Allen leans back against his seat and pulls out his phone. A signal? He decided not to question it. Ignoring multiple texts, Allen opens the most important one, occasionally scanning up to see if Vlad was paying attention. Once he was positive the vampire wasn't focused on him, he sends a reply. 

‘I'm alright. I'm on my way to meet the king. When I have more information I'll write up a report. Hopefully I'll be able to discover what happened to father.' Balling his hand into a fist, Allen glances out the window. He made a vow he'd find Mana when Cross took him in and now he was one step closer to keeping that promise. Allen pockets his phone then clears his throat.

“Is vampire society similar to humans’?” Allen gathers his courage to ask. Silence follows. He was going to ask again in case Vladimir didn't hear him but no words came from his mouth.

“Royalty is made up of pure bloods, which are vampires who were born that way. They have all the authority, no one can go against them. They never breed with high class, normal or turned vampires. High class vampires have human ancestors but the years have dulled the human blood. They would be similar to your rich humans. Normal vampires are half breeds and they are middle class. Obviously turned vampires were once human. Oh only pure bloods can turn a human. Ah…. There's also servs which are normal vampires but are slaves. Only pure bloods and high class can carry a license to own a serv.” Vladimir grows quite after explaining as Allen closes his eyes to process this new information. There was a whole social system that humans knew nothing about. 

“So slavery exists here,” Allen whispers. 

“Servs are easy to spot which means you should stay away from them. Who knows what trouble they're try to get you into,” Vladimir warns. 

“How do I know who is a serv?” Allen anxiously asks. Vladimir raises his hand and taps his collar with a nail, his eyes never leaving the road. Allen squints, confused. A gasp echoes through the carriage. Servs wore collars with their names on it, and Vladimir was a serv.

“Don't worry, my master ordered me not to hurt you. Not like I would anyway, too much effort.”

“That's a relief… Um.. Do you obey your master because you'll be punished if you don't?” 

“Nah. This is a collar made of magic. When we're bought, our master wipes their blood on it while giving us a name. I get an order and my body automatically obeys because of my name,” Vladimir informs with a small chuckle when Allen shook his head in confusion but also slight disgust.

A rather peaceful silence took over as the carriage was guided towards the castle. Relief washed over Allen, he would have hated if there was an awkward tension between them. However, Allen got the sense Vladimir was done talking so he obliged and turned his attention outside. The Cerulean province gave off a rather luxurious vibe driving home the fact that Allen did not belong. Allen's body became heavy after a while as exhaustion kicked in. The rocking of his ride forced him to slip into a deep slumber, his head resting against the window. 

Sweat clung to Allen's skin as his fight or flight response pulled him out of sleep. Panting, he looks into brown eyes. Vladimir removes his hand from the humans shoulder and steps back. Allen realized Vladimir had been shaking him, trying to wake him. Stepping from the carriage, Allen let his eyes linger on the vampires back. Why was he uneasy? Why did he have the urge to protect his neck? Surely Vladimir wasn't about to bite him. A shiver slithered up Allen's back from the thought. Scanning the area, Allen's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. He was staring at a castle from a fairytale. Taking a moment to look at everything from his position, Allen turns to see a courtyard with gardens on both sides while a large fountain sat in the middle. A few merchant's carriages were seen exiting the gravel driveway. Vladimir calls for his charge who swiftly turns and catches up, taking two steps at a time. 

Upon entering the castle, Allen was left to his own devices as Vladimir was whisked away by a guard. Apparently another guard would escort Allen to the throne room, he would just have to wait at the entrance. A female guard approaches Allen after what seems like days, mainly because he was nervous, and is obviously not a fan given away by the scowl on her face. Allen tried to introduce himself but she ignored him and began walking. Her only word to him was keep up. Allen wished Vladimir was here instead of her. A grin crawled onto her face when an idea formed in her mind. Taking a sharp left turn, she leads him down several hallways before coming to a halt. 

“Have fun, human,” she smiles before vanishing in the blink of an eye. 

“... You've got to be kidding me,” Allen sighs.

Cautiously, and while holding his breath, Allen began searching each room hoping to chance upon the throne room. Half an hour later he found a door slightly ajar. Quietly, he slowly opens it enough to peer in. At first the room was empty of life and he could make out a sofa. A study? Allen covers his mouth with his right palm when a tall, pale man walked into view. His long, wet, Raven hair dangled over his shoulders as he leans over to pick a cup up from a end table. Covering his body was a fancy, black bathrobe, however his chest was exposed. The aura emitting from the man made Allen dizzy. Was this a pure blood or a high class vampire? The man stares into the cup, almost if he was debating on drinking whatever was in there. He sets the cup back down when Vladimir walks up to him. Sadly Allen couldn't hear them when they began speaking. Vladimir raises his arm, holding his wrist out to the man. With extreme grace, the man grabs Vladimir's fingers pulling the wrist towards his lips. Lovers? Allen blushed at the thought. Maybe he should leave. Instead of leaving, Allen becomes glued to the spot as he watches the man run his tongue along Vladimir's skin before sinking fangs into his flesh. Vladimir flinched before relaxing. Allen let's go of the door knob ready to run, but the door creaked open ever so slightly. Nothing happened for a few seconds making Allen assume they didn't notice. He thought wrong. The door swings open and the tip of a blade is pressing against Allen's throat while coal eyes glare at him, the intent to kill visible in the irises.


	2. Chapter 2

-Ten years ago-

Scampering through the halls, Allen desperately searches for his father. Their game of hide and seek was dragged out longer than he had expected. Entering a room, he looks everywhere. Once again no success. Allen stomps his foot as his cheeks puff up. Walking out of the room, Allen ponders a new place to look. His eyes grow wide as a smile creeps to his face. The west side of the house. Forgetting it was off limits, Allen rushes over. He would win this game. Peeking around a corner, Mana watches Allen dash off as he listened to someone on the other end of the phone. Mana felt slightly bad for stepping away to do work but he chuckled at how eager his son was. The reward must mean a lot to Allen. 

“Mana, are you even listening to me?” an irritated, gruff voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Yes Cross, I am. You said we needed evidence against the vampires before making a move,” he responded. 

“And right now, no one has any information about vampires. Well the ones who do aren't allowed to speak, otherwise they die. Cowards,” Cross huffs. “We need a plan.”

“I believe I have one,” Mana says, glancing off in the direction Allen ran. 

Allen whines when he realized he probably lost. Peeking out of the office he was in, he scans the area. At the end of the hall was another door. The last room. He walks towards it and stares at it. Hesitantly he pushes the door open. Stepping inside, Allen tilted his head. Weapons hung on the walls behind glass, books and artifacts rested on shelves also behind glass. The room resembled a small museum. A curtain hung in front of a door frame in the back causing curiosity to posses Allen. With the pads of his fingertips, Allen grabs the fabric only to jump when a hand was placed on his shoulder. 

“You know you're not supposed to be in here,” Mana sternly reminds. 

“But you… You were cheating,” Allen declares while pouting. Mana chuckles then leads Allen out of the room. “What is all that stuff?”

“Let's get some ice cream and I'll tell you,” Mana sighs while Allen beams with excitement.

-Present day-

Allen gulps as the blade presses against his throat. He might die before even meeting the king. His gray eyes meet Vladimir’s brown eyes, asking for help. Vladimir tenses when he noticed then he glances away. Allen's mouth fell open. Really? The ravenette notices their interaction then gives Vladimir a look. The two then begin whispering in each others ears, the blade never moving. A sigh of relief slips past Allen's lips when the blade was lowered. Vladimir pats Allen's shoulder, gesturing for the human to follow. Finally in the throne room, Allen stands a few inches away from the bottom step waiting for the king. Allen's left eye twitches when the king makes his appearance. Dressed in black and gold was the ravenette from a few moments ago, his hair now tied in a high ponytail, the sword clung to his left hip. 

“So this is the human? He's short,” He states while taking his seat. “My name is Yuu Kanda, however you will call me Kanda or your majesty,” Kanda orders.

“It's nice to meet you, your majesty. I'm Allen Walker, thank you for accepting my request.”

“So short stack, why were you in the south wing?” Kanda asks, ignoring Allen.

“Short stack?” Allen repeats, annoyed.

“Is there a problem?” Kanda growls. Guards place their palms on their swords.

“My name is Allen, sir,” Allen repeats, trying to calm down. “A woman took me to the south wing. She was supposed to bring me here but-” Allen stops speaking when he notices the woman was in the room. Kanda follows Allen's gaze and sees a guard with long, wavy red hair and blue eyes. However before he could speak, someone approached him and whispered into his ear. Kanda mumbles something before standing up. 

“Something more important has come up. I'll call for you later. Celestia, I'll also call for you,” he informs. Celestia groans then shows her fangs to Allen. “Vladimir, show short stack to a room.”

“What? Why me?” the serv complains. Kanda glares at the vampire, causing Vladimir to nervously laugh then sigh. “Right. I'm seeing a pattern here. Come on Allen,” Vladimir walks off. 

Allen remains silent as he once again follows Vladimir. As they pass servants and royalty, Allen notices the snide remarks. Most were for him, but a few were about Vladimir. Was it because he was a serv? Allen thought he had a theory until some servs joined in with the rude remarks. Allen's eyes grow wide once they entered a bedroom. A king sized bed, with a canopy, sat in the middle of the room. Two wardrobes aligned corners on different sides of the room. A door led to a balcony. Allen rubs his eyes trying to see if he was dreaming. He wasn't. In all honesty, the room looked like it could belong to the king. 

“This is your room while you're here. Your bags are in the closet,” Vladimir informs while walking towards a symbol on the wall near the bed. Allen quickly joins him. The symbol was two circles, one inside the other, with elemental pictures circling the middle of said circle.

“What is this?”

“This is how you'll call for help. All you do is touch it. Some blood will be taken from you, but it's a small amount. Someone, possibly me the way my day has been going, will come see what's up,” Vlad explains.

“Seems easy enough. So.. about what-”

“Yeah, don't mention it,” Vladimir interrupts, embarrassed 

“... Do vampires normally drink from each other?” Allen pries.

“Yes..”

“I thought the king would have concubines for that,” Allen admits. Vladimir laughs harder than he should have.

“That depends on the king. Kanda only drinks blood that has been packaged and sent to our realm from blood donors, and his servs. When he finds a mate, he'll drink from him or her.”

“Blood donors?... Hold on, your master is the king?” 

“You have to take the oath to remain silent before I can talk about anything else. Well.. Yeah I'm his serv, his only serv. Usually royalty buy servs that have potential, but he bought me because I wasn't begging for his attention. Kanda doesn't like clingy people or people who try to kiss up to him.” Vladimir says.

“Ah, that explains why almost everyone here is against you. If I may ask how long have you worked for him?”

“You mean belonged to him? Since I was seven. I'm a hundred now. He taught me how to fight but people still think he deserves better. By the way, how old are you?” he asks while stretching.

“Sixteen,” Allen answers, feeling young.

“Seriously!? You look twenty-four at least. I knew you were still a pup, but sixteen?” 

“Pup?” Allen felt even younger. A shiver crawls up Allen's spine as the feeling of someone watching him took over. Checking the doorway, he watches a black butterfly entering, leaving a trail of purple glitter. Once it was in between the two men, Allen stepped back to avoid the glitter, however he noticed there was none. Examining the butterfly closer, Allen noticed a blue mark on its right wing that resembled a lotus flower. 

“Ugh what does he want now?” Vladimir whines before dismissing himself. Vampires were certainly mysterious. 

Allen stared down at the floor, carefully looking at the symbols that were seared into the marble, circling him. Clutched tight in his right hand was a small kitchen knife. Allen meets Kanda’s impatient gaze. If the answers he was searching for weren't here, he would have left. Kanda rolls his eyes when he witnesses his guest begin breathing exercises. When the blade was touching his left palm, Allen turns his head and slides the blade down his hand, his skin slowly parting. A yelp of pain followed. Kanda holds his breath, keeping his desire to drink at bay, as his eyes move with the blood. Allen hears his blood drip on the marble but instead of casting his eyes down, he plants them on Kanda. A gasp comes from Allen when he sees his blood swirl around him, trapping him in a vortex. Allen begins to struggle when chains of blood grip his wrists, ankles, and neck. He was suffocating. Everything eventually remained frozen as his eyes frantically scan the room. Opening his mouth he realized his voice was gone. Instead of panicking, Allen closes his eyes and tries to concentrate on his breathing. Remain calm, he kept telling himself. Allen's blood collapses to the floor, evaporating, leaving black snake like tattoos wrapping around his flesh where the blood held tight to. The agreement was made. Allen traces the snake on his left wrist as it sinks into his skin, becoming invisible. 

“Everything you learn here is confidential. If you tell anyone, that spell will activate and you'll be honored with a slow and painful death,” Kanda informs, slightly hoping Allen would meet this fate. 

“Your majesty, you're needed in the courtyard,” Celestia says, kneeling before the ravenette. Allen resists the urge to smack the back of his neck when something inside begins wiggling. For a minute he thought it was an actual snake but remembered that's where he was injected with the “serum.” This allowed him to bypass dying when he gave his report to Cross. 

“Tch, is everyone unable to do anything without me? Short stack, we'll talk more tomorrow,” he informs before leaving the room. Sighing, Allen rubs the back of his neck. 

Allen remained rooted to his spot, unsure if he was allowed to return to his room or if he needed to do something else. A tour of the castle would have been nice. At least then he could investigate. Every time someone walked in, Allen would look towards the entrance which would be followed by a sigh. Allen tenses when an arm is wrapped around his shoulders. Scanning up he sees a ginger who wore an eye patch over his right eye. His hair was held up by a bandana and a red scarf rested snug around his neck. A grin was plastered on his face. 

“Looks like I won the bet,” he giggles. 

“Hello Lavi,” Allen forces a smile. Lavi gasps then laughs. 

“Vlad told you about me?”

“Just that your name was Lavi and you bet that I would live.”

“Someone had to have faith in you,” Lavi replies while jabbing his index finger into Allen's cheek. It was obvious to Allen the royal vampires expected his death. 

“How thoughtful,” the teenager sarcastically said.

“Well kid, I hope you're ready,” Lavi says before folding his arms behind his head while heading towards the exit.

“The names Allen, not kid. Wait, ready for what?” he questions as he chases after. 

“The grand tour of course. Oh and be sure to remember the layout of the castle. If not you might stumble onto something you don't want to see,” the ginger answers, peeking over his shoulder at Allen. 

“Once is bad enough,” Allen adds. Lavi laughs, positive he already knew what Allen meant. 

The next four hours consisted of Lavi showcasing the castle, explaining each location and which ones Allen were allowed in. Allen had opened his small notebook to jot down some notes in order to remember all the information entering his brain. Allen found he greatly enjoyed Lavi’s company, well not when he bragged about all the women he's dated. The teen chuckles when he realized Lavi still had problems with directions in the castle. It must be bigger than he thought. The two eventually walk through wooden double doors, entering a huge library. The library itself was four stories, each shelf full of books. Couches were set up for comfort neat windows. Tables were placed in a cluster as if a book club had been present. Hammocks were on the third and fourth level. 

“Obviously, this is the library. Here you'll find out history, our deepest secrets, novels, and every subject available in schools,” Lavi informs. Jack pot. Allen would be spending most of his time here. 

“Well Lavi, I never would have expected you to be playing tour guide,” a voice rang through the fourth level. Allen watches a tall pale skinned ravenette man step from the shadows. He wore glasses and a white lab coat.

“Komui, hey. Oh human this is our mad scientist. Mad scientist meet the human,” Lavi introduced. Allen had no time to respond because Komui had rushed towards him, grabbing Allen's chin with his right hand. Komui turns Allen's head from side to side as he inspects the new life form. 

“A human huh?” he asks. Three seconds later, he's giggling. Allen rose an eyebrow when the scientist began laughing hysterically. “How do you feel about being dissected?” 

“Excuse me!?” Allen shouts. He shakes his face free and takes a step back. 

“Come on, just a little? I promise I won't kill you.”

“I think I'll pass,” Allen replies. Komui whines and slouches. 

“You're no fun. Think of all the possibilities! So much knowledge I could gain from cutting you open…. Pretty please?” he begs.  
“Now here's a vampire you don't want to be alone with,” Lavi informs. Komui gasps, his cheeks puffing out. 

“You'd insult me? If he should be weary of any vampires, it should be the servs. They're the ones who cause trouble.” 

“I don't know, you do want to cut me open. That sounds like good reason to stay away,” Allen half jokes. Komui smirks for a split second before it vanishes. 

“We do have rouge vampires sometimes, but everyone is cautious around servs,” Lavi adds. 

“And I was left alone with one,” Allen says, not sure if be should believe them. 

“Which one?” Komui asks. 

“The King's,” Allen says. Komui’s expression became serious. 

“Never be alone with him,” Komui states sternly. Allen glances at Lavi who's face agreed with the mad scientist. 

“Why?” Allen asks. 

-Cerulean Province: Downtown-

Clouds creep over the moon, snuffing out the light making the streets pitch black. The only sound that could be heard was someone panting. Panic consumes the prey when footsteps echo through the alleys that surround him. Moon light breaks through the clouds, illuminating the passageways. Now to pick one. Whimpering, the blond haired man ducks down the left alley, sprinting towards sanctuary. A scream brakes past his lips when his pursuer comes into view. Wrong way. Quickly turning on his heel, he begins to run. However, shadows shoot from the ground and pull him straight on his back. Squirming against his restraints, tears begin streaming down his face. The figure, hidden by a cloak’s hood, hovers over him. 

“I'm sorry, I… I'll find it I promise,” he cries. 

“You've failed me,” came a distorted voice from the person. 

“I'll try harder I swear!” he panics. 

“I have someone else who won't let me down,” the person informs. 

Blood splatters across the bricks of the nearby buildings. Silence befalls the area. The cloaked figure stares down at the vampire, watching him turn to dust. The person brings the blood stained blade to its lips, licking the blood off. The blade was then returned to its sheath, posing as a cane. A bat swooshes towards the person, snatching a folded piece of paper from fingertips. The bat obeys its command and starts the journey to deliver the message. 

“Make sure he gets the letter. Don't return until he has it..He better not fail me as well.”

-Kanda’s Castle-

With a sigh, Vladimir drags himself towards his room. Why did the king have to harass him? Just because he was his serv? A thought zips through his mind, causing him to check the time. Investigating the area, Vladimir sneaks down the hall when the coast was clear. When he was positive no one followed him, Vladimir leaps into a ledge outside of a window and climbs to the roof. Half an hour passes before he sees what he was waiting for. A bat flying towards the castle with a piece of paper in its mouth.


End file.
